Indian Food Glossary

A fragrant rice dish layered with marinated meat or vegetables, slow-cooked with saffron, cardamom, and whole spices. Originating from the Mughal era, it is one of the most celebrated dishes in South Asian cuisine.

🍽️ At Jaflong: Our Lamb Biryani is Jaflong's best seller — slow-cooked for 3 hours.

Tandoori-grilled meat pieces served in a rich, creamy tomato-based sauce with aromatic spices. Britain's most popular curry, combining smoky char with velvety gravy.

🍽️ At Jaflong: Our Chicken Tikka Masala uses tandoor-grilled chicken in a cashew-enriched sauce.

A mild, creamy curry made with yoghurt, cream, and ground almonds or cashews. Originating from Mughlai cuisine, it is the ideal introduction to Indian food for those who prefer gentle flavours.

A slow-braised lamb curry from Kashmir, characterised by its deep red colour from Kashmiri chillies and aromatic spice paste. Rich, complex, and moderately spiced.

🍽️ At Jaflong: Our Lamb Rogan Josh uses trusted halal suppliers lamb, slow-cooked for tenderness.

A stir-fried curry made with green chillies, peppers, onions, and tomatoes. Originally a method of using leftover roast meats in colonial India, it is now one of the UK's favourite medium-hot curries.

A hot curry named after the South Indian city (now Chennai), featuring a tangy tomato-based sauce with bold chilli heat. Popular in British curry houses since the 1960s.

One of the hottest curries on most menus, originating from the Portuguese-influenced Goan dish 'carne de vinha d'alhos'. Fiery, tangy, and intensely flavoured.

A dry-style curry where spices are fried in oil to create an intense, thick sauce that coats the meat. The word literally means 'to fry' in Urdu and Hindi.

Meaning 'two onions', this curry features onions added at two stages of cooking — creating layers of sweetness and depth. Medium heat with rich onion flavour.

A fast-cooked, medium-spiced curry served in a pressed-steel bowl. Originating from Birmingham's Balti Triangle, it uses a distinctive blend of spices and is always cooked fresh to order.

A Parsi-origin curry combining lentils with meat, creating a sweet, sour, and spicy flavour profile. Often includes pineapple for sweetness and fenugreek for bitterness.

Named after the round-bottomed iron wok in which it is cooked. Karahi curries are typically medium-spiced with tomatoes, ginger, and fresh green chillies, served sizzling.

🍽️ At Jaflong: Our King Prawn Karahi is one of Jaflong's signature dishes.

A Jaflong Tandoori exclusive — tender chicken pieces with fresh mint, coriander, green chillies, and a touch of cream. 'Achanak' means 'surprise' in Urdu, reflecting its unexpected delicacy.

🍽️ At Jaflong: Exclusive to Jaflong — our most requested dish for over 10 years.

A Sylheti Bangladeshi curry made with shatkora citrus fruit, giving a distinctive bitter-tangy flavour. Rare in most UK restaurants, it is authentic to the Sylhet region of Bangladesh.

🍽️ At Jaflong: Authentic Sylheti recipe — one of few Richmond restaurants to serve it.

Sliced meat marinated in yoghurt and spices, cooked in a mild, creamy sauce with almonds and cream. Historically a Mughal royal dish, delicate and luxurious.

A hot, sweet, and sour curry combining tangy tomato with sugar or honey and fiery chilli. Bold and complex, it is popular with those who enjoy layered flavours.

A curry made with pureed spinach or mustard greens. Saag Paneer (with cheese) and Saag Gosht (with lamb) are the most popular variants. Earthy, iron-rich, and nutritious.

A staple lentil dish found across South Asia. Varieties range from creamy Dal Makhani (black lentils with butter) to spicy Tarka Dal (tempered with garlic and cumin).

A triangular pastry filled with spiced potatoes, peas, and sometimes meat, deep-fried until golden and crispy. One of the world's most popular snack foods.

Vegetables or meat dipped in a spiced chickpea flour batter and deep-fried. Also called bhaji. Common fillings include onion, potato, spinach, and chicken.

Minced meat mixed with herbs, spices, and onions, moulded onto skewers and grilled in a tandoor. Smoky, aromatic, and typically made with lamb.

Basmati rice cooked with whole spices (cardamom, cinnamon, cloves) and often coloured with saffron or turmeric. More fragrant and flavourful than plain boiled rice.

A soft, leavened flatbread baked in a tandoor. Varieties include Garlic Naan, Peshwari Naan (with coconut and almonds), and Keema Naan (with spiced mince).

An unleavened whole-wheat flatbread cooked on a flat griddle. Lighter than naan and traditionally the daily bread of Indian homes.

A layered, flaky flatbread made by folding and rolling dough with ghee or oil. Can be plain or stuffed with potato, cauliflower, or paneer.

A deep-fried whole-wheat bread that puffs up into a golden balloon. Light, crispy, and traditionally served with curries or chutneys.

A fresh, unsalted Indian cheese made by curdling milk with lemon juice or vinegar. Firm enough to grill or fry, it absorbs flavours beautifully and is the primary protein in many vegetarian dishes.

Clarified butter used extensively in Indian cooking. It has a higher smoke point than regular butter and adds a rich, nutty depth to curries, rice, and breads.

A warming spice blend typically containing cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, and coriander seeds. Each family and restaurant has its own blend — at Jaflong, we grind ours fresh daily.

A golden-yellow spice from the ginger family, used for colour, earthy flavour, and its anti-inflammatory properties. The foundation of most curry sauces.

A slightly bitter, maple-scented herb used in leaves (methi) and seeds. Essential in butter chicken, methi gosht, and many North Indian dishes.

Known as the 'queen of spices', this aromatic pod comes in green and black varieties. Green cardamom adds floral sweetness to desserts and chai; black cardamom adds smokiness to biryanis.

A sour, tangy fruit paste used to add depth and acidity to chutneys, sauces, and curries. Essential in South Indian cuisine.

A cooling yoghurt condiment mixed with cucumber, mint, or onion. Served alongside spicy dishes to balance heat and refresh the palate.

A broad category of condiments ranging from sweet mango chutney to spicy mint chutney. Essential accompaniments that add contrast and complexity to every meal.

Intensely flavoured preserved vegetables or fruits in oil, spices, and vinegar. Indian pickles are far more complex and pungent than Western pickles.

Any dish cooked in a tandoor (clay oven) at temperatures up to 500°C. Meats are marinated in yoghurt and spices, producing a distinctive smoky char and juicy interior.

A cylindrical clay oven that reaches temperatures of 480–500°C. Used to cook naan bread, tandoori meats, and tikka. The intense heat seals in juices and creates the signature charred flavour.

A technique where whole spices (cumin, mustard seeds, curry leaves) are fried in hot oil or ghee, then poured over a finished dish to add an aromatic, crackling finish.

A slow-cooking technique where food is sealed in a pot (often with dough) and cooked over very low heat. Used for biryanis and certain curries to develop deep, complex flavours.